Vegan Pizza with homemade dough
24 Feb 2012 2 Comments
in Home Cooking, New York Highlights, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: artichoke, broccoli, capers, comfort food, corn, daiya, dough, eggplant, flour, garlic, herbs, homemade, marinara, mushrooms, non-dairy cheese, olive oil, olives, onion, pala, pepper, pesto, pizza, sauces, sausage, soy, sugar, sun dried tomatoes, tempeh, tofu, tomato, tomatoes, vegan, vegan cheese, vegetarian, viva, yeast, zucchini
Who doesn’t appreciate a good slice, especially here in NYC where pizza is so very important and such a point of contention – even for vegans! Our favorite place to order from is Viva Herbal Pizzeria where we can get spelt or gluten-free crusts with daiya and even vegan sausage as toppings (our personal fave combo!) Pala Pizza also has great vegan options and that brick-fired pizza taste, yum!
Sometimes it is easy to buy dough and tomato sauce quickly whip up a pie at home, but if you are interested in making your own dough, here is a great recipe! My mom made the dough and I added the homemade sauce (thanks mom!!). It was really very very good!
Check out here for some of my other fun pizza nights 
Flatbread Pizza with hummus, green olives, cherry tomatoes and za’atar (this is a raw one and Well Worth the effort!), Raw Eggplant Pizzas and the quick at home whipped up kind with purchased dough.
Vegan Pizza with Homemade Dough & Daiya Cheese
Pizza Dough Recipe
- 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon finely ground sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast (1 packet of dry yeast)
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees (if using a pizza stone – place in the oven to get hot and heat for an hour)
- Mix together the warm water, sugar and yeast. Put aside to get foamy. If it does not foam then the yeast is not good – redo this step.
- In a separate bowl mix all of the other ingredients. Add in the yeast mixture and mix well until dough forms a ball. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough – Use the palm of your hand and keep pressing in and folding it over and repeating for about 5 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 – one pound balls. Place these dough balls into containers and cover the container with anything that will keep the air out. Set the dough to rise in a warm spot for at least 45 minutes. (you can freeze any unused dough after rising*)
- Prepare your topping. Stretch out the dough and aim for it to be even thickness all around. Top your pizza and place in the oven. Bake for 8 minutes. Let it rest. Add any herbs to your pizza afterwards.
*If using frozen dough – allow dough to defrost in fridge 12 hours
- Either use a jar of Marinara Sauce or make your own
Basic Sauce Recipe
- 28 ounce pureed tomatoes
- sugar to taste
- salt to taste
- 3-6 finely grated fresh peeled garlic cloves
Mix all the ingredients together.
Topping Suggestions:
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Fresh or Roasted Garlic
- Broccoli
- Sweet Corn
- Peppers
- Olives
- Fresh Tomatoes
- Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Grilled/Fried/Baked Eggplant
- Grilled Zucchini
- Roasted Red Pepper
- Capers
- Saute Spinach
- Pesto Sauce
- Artichokes
- Soy Pepperoni or Soy Sausage or Tofu/tempeh
- Daiya Vegan Cheese or other vegan cheese
- Herbs
Unbaked Pizza
Sesame Ginger Maple Baked Tofu
02 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: comfort food, ginger, maple syrup, quick and easy, sauces, sesame, sides, snack, soy, tofu, vegan, vegetarian
OMG! So Simple and So Amazing! This was one of the best dinners. So healthy (paired with steamed Kale! YUM!) deeeeeeelish and simple! These were amazing to keep in the fridge and soooo good cold even! I doubled the recipe and wish I had quadrupled it!!! So good!
Sesame Ginger Maple Baked Tofu
adapted from Averie’s recipe from Love Veggies and Yoga Thanks!
1 Tbsp Ground Ginger
1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
1/8 cup Sesame Oil
1/8 cup Maple syrup
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Optional: Garlic, Onions, Salt, Nama Shoyu/Bragg’s Liquid Aminos/Soy Sauce, to Taste
Optional: bake and/or garnish with sesame seeds
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Blot the tofu with paper towels & cut into uniform slices
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stir and pour over tofu slices.
- Bake for 35 Minutes, flipping over halfway through baking.
Babette’s in East Hampton
14 Aug 2011 2 Comments
in New York Highlights Tags: avocado, burger, comfort food, hampton's, lentil, non-dairy cheese, reuben, sandwich, soy, soy cheese, sweet potato, tempeh, vegan, vegetarian, walnut
I was super excited to read about Babette’s in East Hampton. They offer many different vegan dishes. When we went we were happy to get an outside table but I was a little astounded by the prices for the kind of food it was. But hey, its the Hamptons, I get it. The Lentil Vegetable Walnut burger with avocado and soy cheese was decent, but we liked the one at Banzai Burger better. We also had the vegan Tempeh Reuben which was super yummy. The sweet potato fries and smoothies were good too I would go back but maybe try some of the other vegan options. I love that there are many! Fun!
Vegan Soba Noodles at Page at 63 Main
26 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in New York Highlights Tags: avocado, carrots, coconut, comfort food, cucumber, curry, mushrooms, sag harbor, scallions, shitake, soba, soy, steamed buns, vegan, vegetarian, water chestnuts
AMAZING! I loved our meal at Page at 63 Main in Sag Harbor. So YUM! They had two really great vegan options. The Asian Steamed Buns were so deelish but the Vegan Soba Noodles were out of this world. I am not normally that impressed with a soba noodle dish. I love them, but restaurants don’t typically impress with them and these were seriously amazing! And of course I love that the word Vegan is in the title of the dish on a fancy restaurant’s menu Awesome!!!
Vegan Soba Noodles: Black trumpet mushrooms, carrots, seared water chestnuts & soba noodles with lemongrass soy glaze.
We dove in too fast to catch a picture of the Asian Steamed Buns but here is what was in them; pickled cucumber, avocado, scallions, cilantro, green curry, soy glaze and smoked coconut with shitake mushrooms. Really amazing
Braised Asian Tofu
15 May 2011 2 Comments
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: asian, comfort food, sesame, sides, soy, tamari, tofu, vegan, vegetarian
In the past I had cooked meat for Michael and I enjoyed the challenge of making new dishes with different techniques. I no longer cook meat at all, but still like the challenge of trying new techniques This was a fun way to make tofu that we both really enjoyed. It was Super perfect with my Sweet Roasted Broccoli.
Braised Asian Tofu
1 block firm tofu (I used light), cut in half lengthwise, and then sliced into 1/2 inch slices
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used canola)
1/4 cup tamari
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon sesame seed, crushed and toasted
- Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add tofu slices and be careful not to overcrowd. Brown each side, 2-3 minutes per side. When golden, remove to a plate. Continue cooking all tofu until done.
- After the tofu is cooked and removed, add tamari, water, sesame oil, scallions, garlic and chili powder. Stir and place tofu slices back into the pot. During the cooking process the liquid will eventually cover all of the tofu.
- Place the pot over medium heat. Cover. Cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.
- Top with sesame seeds and enjoy
Mushroom and Crumble Stroganoff
10 May 2011 4 Comments
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: comfort food, cream, gravy, mushroom, pasta, quick and easy, sauces, soy, soy crumbles, Tofutti, vegan, vegetarian
Here is another Stroganoff recipe. The first one was such a hit but I still always love to experiment. I whipped this one up super fast and it was great! It was very different from the first one since I included the crumbles and vegan sour cream. Try both and see which one you like best
Mushroom and Crumble Stroganoff
Makes 4 servings
1-lb. pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1-lb. pkg. Morningstar burger crumbles (or your favorite soy crumbles)
1 cup vegan (I used Hain Pure Foods Vegetarian Brown Gravy Mix)
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces vegan sour cream (I used Tofutti)
3/4 cup white cooking wine
- Cook the pasta in boiling water.
- While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat the oil and cook the onions and mushrooms until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Drain the pasta, and serve the sauce over the noodles.
Caramelized Tofu and Brussel Sprouts
05 May 2011 7 Comments
in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: brussel sprout, comfort food, green, quick and easy, salad, sauces, sides, soy, Stir-fry, tofu, vegan, vegetarian
We love all things Brussel Sprouts and this one was a real winner definitely on the sweet side, so you may want to tone down the brown sugar, but it was very tasty the way we made it. Pecans went perfectly with the sprouts. For my go-to brussel sprouts I normally use pine nuts (although once I made with pistachios) so this was a nice change. Plus I loved using the same pan to have a great one-pot meal. Fast to make, Easy to clean up and Really yummy to eat!
Caramelized Tofu and Brussel Sprouts
adapted from 101cookbooks.com
Serves 2 – 3 as a main, 4 as a side
1 block extra-firm tofu cut into thin 1-inch segments
a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
a couple splashes of olive
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
4-5 tablespoons fine-grain natural cane sugar or brown sugar
1 lb. brussels sprouts, washed and cut into 1/8-inch wide ribbons
Cook the tofu cubes in large hot skillet with a bit of salt and a splash of oil. Saute until slightly golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and pecans, and cook for another minute. Stir in sugar. Cook for another couple of minutes. Scrape the tofu out onto a plate and set aside while you cook the brussels sprouts.
In the same pan (no need to wash), add a touch more oil, another pinch of salt, and dial the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot stir in the shredded brussels sprouts. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring a couple times (but not too often) until you get some golden bits, and the rest of the sprouts are bright and delicious.
Combine and Enjoy!!
Super Bright Green Brussels
Tofu and Pecans
Kim’s Vegan Sugar Cookies
28 Apr 2011 2 Comments
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: almond milk, comfort food, cookies, cream, dessert, Ener-G, entertaining, guest post, snack, soy, Tofutti, vegan, vegetarian
My wonderful friend and reader, Kim, has shared some really great recipes with me in the past. I am super excited to have her Guest Post here These cookies look absolutely amazing!!!! I think these would be great for any holiday or event as they are so versatile!! YUM!!!!
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So I always find family holidays a bit tough because they always revolve around candy and sweet baked goods. So every year I usually try out a new recipe of some sort to see how it comes out and to test it on my family. My goal is to find the perfect vegan holiday recipe that not only will I enjoy, but my family will as well (and they are picky eaters). So I found this recipe in VegNews and decided to give it a go. Not only did it come out fantastic but my family can’t get enough of them. My Grandmother and myself were up to our elbows in cookies for Easter, with frosting everywhere. We spent a good amount of time trying to design the perfect cookie to be photographed, but got so tired by the end of the night that we only shot a few cookies and decided that we would just slap some frosting on the rest for the family. They are so delicious that we didn’t think the family would mind or notice. Hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as me and my family does.
Vegan Sugar Cookies
For the cookies:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegan margarine, softened
3 teaspoons ener-g egg replacer, mixed with 1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup vegan sour cream
4 1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the frosting:
1/4 cup vegan margarine
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons soymilk (I use almond milk)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
(for the frosting I think they messed up the amount of milk. It makes
a crumbly consistency so i usually follow it and once it’s mixed I
slowly pour in more milk until it becomes a nice smooth frosting)
- To prepare cookies, preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl cream margarine and sugar until fluffy. Add egg replacer, vanilla, and sour cream and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, mix flour, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry mixture to wet
- Mix for 1 to 2 minutes or until combined then roll dough into large ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes
- Remove dough from fridge and roll out 1/2 inch thick on floured board. Cut using cookie cutters. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden. Allow to cool before frosting.
- For frosting mix all ingredients with mixer on medium speed until creamy and soft (will need to add more milk I have yet to calculate how much I usually add so just eye it)
- This makes a lot of cookies and I usually put the dough in the freezer while each batch is in the oven so that while your waiting the dough doesn’t get too soft ( just don’t leave it too long or else you will have iced cookie dough)
And be warned these are addicting, be prepared to eat at least 5 before you even offer them to anyone else because they are that good. My grandmother ate at least 2 handfuls by Easter and she doesn’t usually eat that much sweets.
Veggie and Tofu Moo Shu
11 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: asian, mushroom, quick and easy, soy, soy crumbles, tamari, tofu, vegan, vegetarian
This was super yummy, quick to make and very low in fat, which is always lovely! Perfect weeknight meal! Deelish!
Veggie and Tofu Moo Shu
Makes 8 wraps
8 – Whole Wheat Tortilla Wraps
12-oz. bag dry broccoli slaw mix
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 block tofu, cubed and crumbled (or vegan crumbles)
1 cup water chestnuts
1 can bamboo shoots, drained and chopped
3 tablespoons tamari
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
dash white pepper (black is fine, if you don’t have white)
hoisin sauce
- In a small bowl, combine tamari, vinegar, garlic, cornstarch, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
- Heat a wok to medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook, 2 minutes.
- Add broccoli slaw and mushrooms to wok and, stirring occasionally, cook for 3 – 4 minutes, until veggies are soft.
- Add bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and sauce to the pan, mix well, and cook for an additional 3 – 4 minutes, until entire dish is hot.
- Remove from heat and transfer moo shu mixture to a serving dish. Set aside.
- Serve tortillas and hoisin sauce alongside moo shu mixture. Spread hoisin sauce on tortilla and spoon moo shu mixture and wrap.
- Enjoy!
5 minute Tofu Chocolate Pudding & Whipped Cream Pie
17 Mar 2011 1 Comment
in Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: cake, chocolate, cocoa, comfort food, cream, dessert, entertaining, quick and easy, snack, soy, tofu, vegan, vegetarian
Recently I needed a fast dessert to bring to a party. I didn’t really have time to make something, and not that there is anything wrong with buying something to bring, it just really isn’t me. So I needed to improvise My mom had recently sent me a 5 minute recipe for a Tofu Dream Pudding. (Thanks Mom!) I figured why not use this recipe to make a quick pie.
The pudding was incredible!!! We could have just eaten this on its own but it was super deelish as a pie filling as well.
It is easier to slice when frozen, but even more deelish when defrosted!
Tofu chocolate Pudding & Whipped Cream Pie
Pudding
Recipe adapted from food.com
- 2 boxes of firm silken tofu (the asceptic type…One brand is Mori-Nu…not the water packed kind!)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder (good quality)
- Simply blend tofu, cocoa, sugar, vanilla in a food processor or blender until smooth and well blended.
- Add the almond extract in a little at a time, and adjust to taste. (optional)
Pie
- vegan pie shell (I chose chocolate…see picture below)
- vegan whip cream (I used Soyatoo Soy whipped cream and was not so impressed, buy Hip Whip instead)
- chocolate bar
- Pour pudding into pie shell
- Decorate with whipped topping and then grate chocolate over it.
- Either serve immediately or freeze. (freezing made it perfect for travel! But it tastes best defrosted)
Pie Shell
Just the pudding in the pieshell
The pudding was amazing just on its own!
